Written by Sugandh Kakkar

Since midnight between Thursday and Friday i.e., 30th June and 1st July, Israel has had a new prime minister. Yair Lapid became the 14th Prime Minister of Isreal.

His period will be brief as he took over as the caretaker government ahead of the national elections on November 1, 2022. But you never know, if his government works efficiently, he can also win the main elections in 4 months.

What is a caretaker government?

This is a type of government that is temporary in nature till a new one is elected. This kind of government usually has limited functions in the state and works like a caretaker until the main government gets elected.

Who is Yair Lapid?

Here’s a quick summary

• He is an Israeli politician who was a journalist before entering politics.
• He is the chairman of what’s called the Yesh Atid
• He’s been an alternate prime minister of Israel before and also the minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022.
• He was Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2021
• Was Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014.

He was recently elected as the new Prime Minister on July 1st and took over from Naftali Bennett.

How did Yair Lapid become Israeli Prime Minister?

Lawmakers in Isreal voted for him as the parliament was dissolved. This happened after the coalition government of former prime minister, Naftali banner lost its majority. So after that, he took over the charge of the government for a short period.

During his handing-over ceremony, Lapid said that “We’ll do the best we can for a Jewish, democratic state, good and strong and thriving, because that is the job, and it’s bigger than all of us”.

Political History of  Yair Lapid

Yair Lapid was not always a politician, he was a TV presenter as well as a news anchor.

• He founded the YeshAtid party which became the second largest in Isreal’s assembly (called the Knesset) securing 19 seats in its first legislative election in 2013. This provided him with a sudden boost of popularity.
• In 2013-14, he formed a coalition government with another party called the Likud and served as Finance Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu, the then Prime Minister.
• In 2013, Lapid was ranked first on the list of the “Most Influential Jews in the World” by The Jerusalem Post. 
• On May 17, 2020, Lapid became the Leader of the Opposition. After that on 5th May 2021, he tried forming a coalition government. 
• Finally Lapid became the Prime Minister on July 1 2022, after the dissolution of the parliament

Headline Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Yair_Lapid_2021_%28cropped%29.jpg
Haim Zach / Government Press Office (Israel), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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